Critics of gay marriage ban: 'One step closer'

To gay couples waiting to get married, the announcement is a victory, but they know appeals will drag out the impact of the decision. Ban supporters say Black's ruling will be overturned.

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Phil Burress, president of Citizens for Community Values, speaks at a Kings Island luncheon organized to sign up more area ministers as "Patriot Pastors," who recruit people to vote. Russell Johnson, the creator of an evangelical political movement called the Ohio Restoration Project and pastor of a church in Lancaster, Ohio, is in the background.(Photo: Enquirer file)Buy Photo

"We've been together 15 years. That's a long time to wait to get married," said Caywood, of Clifton Heights. "We shouldn't have to travel somewhere else to get married. We're from here. We grew up here. We want to get married here."

Gay couples recognize they probably won't be immediately impacted by the decision, since Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine will appeal Black's ruling.

Supporters of the ban said they were confident the ruling will be overturned.

"There's no surprise that Timothy Black would rule for same-sex marriage based on his history of extreme liberal rulings over the years," said Phil Burress, president of Sharonville-based Citizens for Community Values, a longtime opponent of same-sex marriage. "What's just ruled against is the will of the people of Ohio."

Burress called Black's ruling "far-reaching" because he said the U.S. Supreme Court could have ruled gay marriage legal across the country last year, and did not do so. The court did invalidate the federal Defense of Marriage Act, making gay couples who are legally married in their states eligible for federal benefits.

"The only way for same-sex marriage to be the law in the United States is for the United States Supreme Court to order it," Burress said.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio repeated the same "one step closer" reaction.

"Judge Timothy Black's announcement represents another step forward in the march toward full LGBT equality in Ohio," Executive Director Christine Link said in a statement. "We are committed to achieving LGBT equality in all aspects of life, including employment, housing and marriage. While this is by no means the final court to weigh in on this question in Ohio, this announcement brings us one step closer to the promise of full rights and freedoms for all Ohioans."

Mark Kallick of Newport said he and his partner David Moore have bought a house in Deer Park. The couple got married last fall in New York state.

"It's a pain and it's humiliating and it's financially penalizing," Kallick said. "As we get closer to the last hurrah, it gets more and more painful to endure. I mean, it's enough already."